


A Crack in the Ice

by ohmytheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 05:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1766875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmytheon/pseuds/ohmytheon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting snowed in at the bank with your boss is no fun, especially when your boss is just as cold as the weather.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Crack in the Ice

It had only been five minutes since she’d checked her cell, but that didn’t stop her from pulling it out and typing in the pass code.

"There’s no point to that," her sole companion in this maddening predicament drawled from the other side of the dark room.

She didn’t listen to him. She checked her phone. She checked it again. No bars whatsoever. She couldn’t even hook up to the wi-fi of the building in order to send an email or anything close to resembling an SOS. It wasn’t that she was scared about being stuck at the office with the CEO of the bank during a blizzard. It was more about the fact that she couldn’t get a hold of her children - couldn’t make sure Robb was at the house watching over his younger siblings - couldn’t make sure that they were safe and sound and not scared.

The fact was that they were cut off from everyone and not like to be rescued any time soon. Not until the next day at least.

Catelyn took one last glance at her phone and then shoved it into her coat pocket before pacing to the back of the room where her boss sat. Tywin Lannister was an imposing man. It was what made him an excellent banker, she supposed. Even in the room that grew darker with each minute snow blocked the windows, even when cloaked in his heavy grey jacket and scarf to keep warm inside a building, he looked as if he could step outside at any moment and tell the weather to stop snowing _and it would_. That didn’t make her fear him though. He may have been her boss, but she was right underneath him, just one step away from him. People said that it was a remarkable feat for a woman, especially considering how critical Tywin was of those “under his command,” but Catelyn had always exceeded where others had failed.

And yet, with all that power and strength and intelligence shared between them, they had still managed to get snowed in while attempting to close down the bank early for the first time in years. Out of all the people she could have been snowed in with, Tywin was one of the last ones she would’ve chosen.

"Sit down, get comfortable," he told her. "We may be here for the night."

Catelyn heaved a shuddering breath and begrudgingly sat down on the green coach across from him. Whereas he seemed to lounge without concern, she felt tense, like all her muscles could snap at any given moment. Her fingers itched to check her phone again, but she knew that it was useless and Tywin would only point it out to her like she was suffering from some sort of weakness. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest, burying her hands under her arms, in an attempt to both keep herself warm and from grabbing her cell.

For a while, they sat like that in silence. Tywin wasn’t known to be a conversational man. Catelyn loved conversations. She loved talking with people and getting to know them; she was even able to coerce Tywin into long conversations over (business) dinners. (A few glasses of red wine always did the trick.) However, even she wasn’t feeling very conversational at the moment. She watched as Tywin took out his tablet and used it sparingly in the dark, probably working as he always did. The man could never take a break from his job. Soon though, she grew tired and the darkness pressed down on her and she fell asleep on the couch despite her nerves and the growing cold.

When she woke, she could not say how much time had passed. She could say that she was no longer cold, however, because Tywin’s large winter coat had been placed over her body like a protective blanket. Once she realized that, she looked over to his couch, but saw that he was not there anymore.

"Sleep well, my lady?"

Catelyn looked behind the couch and saw Tywin standing there. Despite the fact that it had become much colder and he was no longer wearing his coat, he didn’t seem to be cold.

"Thank you for your coat," she said as she sat up, gripping his coat so that it continued to shield her. "You didn’t need to do that."

It was dark, so she couldn’t see his face. “It was too stuffy for me to stand around in for much longer,” he replied indifferently, turning away from her to face the window. For some reason, Catelyn had a sneaking suspicion that hadn’t been the case at all, but she kept her mouth shut. If there was one thing she knew about Tywin Lannister, it was that his pride was important to him and appearances had to be maintained. She wouldn’t ruin his cold reputation by bringing up his act of warmness.


End file.
